August 1, 2009

What’s the Best Name for my Web Site?

Small business people often ask about picking out a name for a website. In many cases, the name that is a 100% match for the business (mycompany) is already taken. So the company asks should they take outmycompanyincor mycompanyco etc. Alternatively, a company has a long name mysmallbusinessisbrilliant. They ask about if customer expects a shortened URL.

In today’s world, customers will go into Google, Yahoo, Bing etc and put in your company’s name in the manner that they think of your company. Remember, the average search phrase is 4 words, so you have some latitude in matching.

Here are a couple of suggestions.

Most importantly understand how your customers think about your business. If you are Hilltop Garage in Big Mountain, Iowa make a list.

Hilltop Garage in Big Mountain

Hilltop Garage Expert Foreign Car repair

Bob at Hilltop Garage

Bob over in Big Mountain at Hilltop Garage

Bob’s Hilltop Garage

Second, when building your website, don’t just think about the URL, but think about the Title, Description, Keywords and Headings on each page. By putting the appropriate words in these areas, Hilltop Garage will have a better chance of being found. In the title of the home page, Bob should consider having “Expert Foreign Car Repair – Bob Smith Hilltop Garage Big Mountain, Iowa. ”

Remember, you don’t have to limit yourself to one URL. Bob could beHilltopGarageBigMountain, but he could also purchaseBigMountainHilltopGarage or even BobsHilltopGarage. It is fairly simple to route alternative sites to one main site.

If you do have a site, go back and look at your titles, descriptions, keywords and headings. If you are not sure where they are, ask your web developer. When it comes to social media, pick one and get started.